Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital (HGMH) held its annual general meeting today and has released its annual report to share the year’s news and accomplishments. Our successes include the addition of two new family physicians to the HGMH care team, trials of new technologies such as patient pagers and virtual reality headsets and the launch of our cardiac rehabilitation program.

The AGM also saw our CEO Linda Morrow honoured on the occasion of her retirement, with presentations from North Glengarry Township, MPP Jim McDonell, MP Guy Lauzon, MP Francis Drouin, and former Stroke Rehabilitation patient Michael Cartwright. Morrow’s career in health care spans 37 years and she has been CEO since 2006. The entire hospital community and staff wish her well in her retirement.

HGMH has a lot to be proud of this past year. We grew our medical team, welcoming family physicians Dr. Sara Accardi and Dr. Joanne Lau (HGMH will also welcome a third family doctor, Dr. Eric Bilodeau this summer). We also launched a new cardiac rehabilitation program, in partnership with the Ottawa Heart Institute - demand for spots in the program caused immediate expansion from one to three intakes in the spring.

We launched trials of two new technologies. In the emergency room, patient pagers now allow patients to be reached from anywhere in the hospital, so their wait is more flexible. HGMH plans to expand the pager experiment into other clinic areas. Our second trial with virtual reality headsets also proved successful, allowing patients to immerse themselves in calming landscapes such as beaches or forests for relaxation. This technology is particularly helpful for post-acute stroke patients.

The HGMH board would like to thank everyone in our community, from staff to patients, who strengthen our organization with your care and compassion. We invite you to continue connecting with us on all our platforms, from our website (www.hgmh.on.ca) to our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/glengarrymemorial).

Telehealth

Telehealth Ontario is a free, confidential telephone service you can call to get health advice or general health information from a Registered Nurse. The service provides round-the-clock access, to a qualified health professional. It can help you decide whether to care for yourself, make an appointment with your doctor, go to a clinic, contact a community service or go to a hospital emergency room.